Name: Winchester Dublin
Age: 27
Class: Lower-Rich, Businessman.
Height: 7'1"
Build: Slender
Skin: Fair, freckled
Hair: Light Auburn, ear length, messy
Eyes: Green
Personality: Despite his profession, he's actually rather shy. He has two sides, the confident business man, who takes care of what must be done, and outside of that, not much else. He is mostly a loner, and keeps to himself, avoiding people, or interaction. As for a love life, keep dreaming. He couldn't even talk to a woman, let alone anything more. But that was fine, he was convinced all he needed was business.
Background: A bit of a mystery. No one knows his family, or where he came from. He was taken in by a wealthy business man, under his wing, and groomed to be the perfect gentleman, and carry on the business. Despite the controversy behind what he does, he is in fact pivotal to many rich families, and travels city to city, wanted and needed by the richest men in the world. What exactly it is that he does, no one wants to admit, it's been a secret, but it has left him well off, and welcomed worldwide.

Name: Kevlyn Aurora Fairchild
Age: 23
Class: Old money rich
Height: 6 feet 6 inches
Build: waif-like
Skin: Pale
Hair: Light Brown, straight and at mid back
Eyes: Silver
Background: Grew up in a rich home, the oldest of six kids, five of whom were adopted. Her mother and father, a rare sort indeed, took in the kids they just happened to find on the streets because they had plenty of resources to do so. She isn't very close with her siblings as they are a bit younger than her and she was away at boarding schools and then colleges (except for summers and holiday vacations) since she was five. Regardless of the fact that she went to schools and what not she is currently unemployed but does volunteer most of her time to the homeless shelter in the poor part of the city. Her parents are proud that she does what she can, but wish she would get a job as a doctor for the well off hospitals.
Personality: Being the oldest and away at schools basically her whole life, she is a bit on the bossy side and independent. She is well aware of the problems going on and now that she is out of school, she finally has a say in how she runs her life and does it by volunteering her time. She is a mostly quiet person unless she feels an unjust is being committed. If she is in a situation that makes her very nervous or if she gets a little drunk (which doesn't happen often as she isn't much of a party goer) it generally results in her being a little silly. Doesn't have many close friends, but that's ok with her. She is however really close to her grandfather, Marcus, and spends as much time with him as she can. But over all she is a friendly sort who doesn't get baffled easily and likes a good conversation. She isn't afraid to say what's on her mind but doesn't like being wrong.

Not even a year ago the planet was prosperous, thriving compared to the past, advancing and impoving upon the technologies and world their ancestors created. Cities speckled the land, large and booming. The wildlife was basically untouched, deemed inferior by society now. Rolling seas, expanses of plains, and thick forest around the land. The animals here were strange, some distant relatives of those brought over by the ones who once inhabitated Earth, but otherwise the wildness was left to run rampant and thrive.

The people have advanced in so many ways, building better technologies, but mostly improving themselves. Their diet completely different, nothing impure, only stuff closely monitored by scientists. There was no such thing as obesity, few illnesses, and the body has advanced, riding itself of many of the comlications that plagued their ancestors. Cancer, deathly illnesses, none of those existed anymore. People grew old, lived longer, and death was rare, more often people chose to end their life, after living long and feeling satisfied. Some sickness did occur, but rare, and sometimes they were blamed on someone going outside the city walls, interacting with nature. On occasion a bird has landed on the city wall, or flown over, and panic spread about the chance of a plague. But it all passed eventually.

Their advances was coupled with a primitive belief system, gods and goddesses, rituals, ceremonies, and at times, sacrifices. There was a division between rich and poor, an inter city, and the outer city, both of which kept seperate from each other. The rich sometimes ruled, but in the bigger cities, there was a sense of government, but still, only rich ever had a place in it. Some poverty was possible, but it wasn't wide spread, as people seemed to take care of each other. Crime wasn't much of an issues, most of the time, as there was not much in place of a judicial system, if you harmed the rich, or stole from them, death was your only option. Otherwise, it was a rather peaceful existence.

Money was uncommon, people had gone back to a barter and trade system, only the rich had money. People survived, each had their trade, and used that to gain whatelse they needed. There wasn't a huge fashion scene among the common people, everyone wore simple robes, and there was little excess, that was reserved for the rich. Their housing and items were generally made of a metal type sorts, shiny and streamline, and without excess. Often a family lived in a pod, a large common area, kitchen, sometimes a space to grow food, and everyone slept in a sort of chamber, where their body was relaxed, and revived.The rich used the same materials, but they were huge and lavish, more than the pod of the common families.

All of this was ending, though. Their very world was begining to collapse, natural disasters destroying cities, killing millions. It was just the beginning, but it was predicted that there was a war between the gods, and they were doomed. One of the main cities, Turig, had yet to experience any of these disasters, aside from one stray meteor, that crashed into an out wall. That alone had caused panic.

Currently it is summer time, the area that Turig is in is a semi-tropical environment, a moist, but cool air, and clear, the suns visible. There is a celebration going on, to honor one of the goddesses, the one of good luck and fortune, something they all needed now. The outskirt of the city was alive with merryment, games, events, food vendors, with special treats uncommon during regular times. It was a time when everyone else could get together, and enjoy themselves, away from the bustle of everyday.

The rich refused to fraternize with the the common folk, so they held their own lavish parties, and huge banquets, celebrating in their own way. They drank and engorged themselves, and made fun of the common folk, who were not as well off as them.

It was during this merrymaking that the first tremors were felt. Just a small one at first, and another... but then all of a sudden, they increased, the ground shaking, buildings shaking, items falling to the ground, spilling out their contents. Once or twice this had happened, but these didn't stop, not after minutes, and soon, nearly an hour later, they were even more intense... then it happened. Somewhere on the outskirts of town the wall began to crack, and a huge rift began to open, spreading like fire cross the city, engulfing houses, going so far as to the center of the town, taking out a good half of the large structures the rich lived in. Nearly half the city sunk into the gaping rift, or toppled over from the raging quakes. No longer was this city untouchable.

-------

He had been here too long, he was tired of the rich here, they were young, the older ones moving on, or being overpowered. It was nothing but lavish parties and drunken endevours. He didn't feel like he could accomplish anything in this environment. But he was stuck, at least until this event was over, that was the soonest he would be able to move on, and catch a pod to his next desitnation.

He covered his head with a pillow, laying on a lounge in the large room he had been offered. It was larger than most peoples entire family pods, and he felt so small in the space. They were even louder, the Festival of Fortune was going on, and by far this was their favourite. As if they didn't already have enough. But it was this excess that kept him working. But... he was starting to grow tired of this. Not that he had anything else, so there was no point in quitting.

Yet it had been so long since he had even been to a festival, what could it hurt to just poke in, even for a few moments. He ran his slender, bony fingers through his messy hair, coming it slightly, and adjusted the robes, letting them fall around his frame. They were made of a fine silk, in a pale turquoise colour, a thin silver rope encircling it at his waist, holding it together. It just barely brushed the ground, and had a circle of silver around the bottom, but was plain, uncommon of many of the lavish robes the rich wore.

The colour was the only thing extravagant about it, and it was so muted, that he was sure to stand out, and not in a good way. He had plain, silver slippers on his feet, they looked new, despite his modesty, he always had good shoes. With one last sigh he pushed himself out the door, it closing shut behind him slowly. There were no locks, no handles, they opened when anyone was near, there was no need for security. Not even a few steps out the door and he was greated by the other business men, endugling in the riches this city had to offer. Lovely women, it seems every year their robes grew shorter, and tighter, and wine made with the finest indoor-grown grapes.

It was loud, the conversations, the music, everything was just so much... this wasn't his cup of tea. It was equally more problematic when one of the ladies tried to talk to him. He could do nothing but stumble of his words and make haste towards... well, somewhere else. Was there something else beside this excess? He had to find out... The guards were slightly distracted, talking with the ladies, drinking and having fun. It was easy for him to slip past, and use a servants entrance into the the outring of the city.

It was out here that he saw a different scene, families were together, the smell of delicious foods, and while there was music and merriment, it was a different vibe. He was sure he would like this. But... how bad was he going to stand out, now? He got a few weird stares from some of the men, but before he could do anything he was greated by a young woman, who handed him a lanturn, much like everyone else had. Perhaps he was going to enjoy himself.... but before he could even do that, he felt it, the first tremor. But it didn't stop, not like they had before. It wasn't long before people started to panic, and take shelter in their homes, but he had nowhere to go... nowhere to hide, aside from under a large pavilion. Hopefully this would be over soon.

Kevlyn sat in an arm chair across from her grandfather, Marcus. A very old chessboard sat on a wooden table between them. This was Marcus's wing of the pod and because he was so old he had been able to salvage a lot of his old findings before everyone got so streamlined and metallic ... and paranoid. Marcus was over 120 years old and walked around with a cane on the cooler days, but he never passed up games of chess with his favorite granddaughter.

Neither spoke, as each kept their eyes focused on the board and made calculated moves according to an unheard plan in each of their heads. Kevlyn's head leaned forward, her hair hung in a sheet of smooth brown sugar along one side of her head. A wide smile spread on her face as she made her next move. "Check mate, gramps." She looked up and he was smiling too. It wasn't often that she beat him but when she did she knew it was cause he didn't let her. Made the victory so much sweeter.

The door flew up and Kevlyn's mother, Marguerite, came barreling through with an arm load of silks and ribbons and ropes. Marcus picked up his chess pieces and put them in a box located under the chess board. Kevlyn turned to look at her mother and stared. She knew what was coming. She knew what day it was. Marguerite strode gracefully over, her own short robe made of lush purple and gold stitched flowers trailing a gold sash. It embarrassed Kevlyn to see her mother flaunting her body in this way, but she'd never say it out loud. Her mother, regardless of her fashion choices, was a good person and did much more than most people around the city. Her adopted siblings could vouch for that.

"Kevlyn, you need to get ready for the Festival! What ever are you doing playing games at a time like this?"

Kevlyn heard Marcus grumble under his breath and saw Marguerite shoot a scowl in his direction.
"It's not just a game, mother. I'm learning about strategy and -"
"I don't care what it teaches because you need to get dressed and make an appearance with the family."

A large sigh escaped Kevlyn's lips as she got up, kissed her grandfather on the cheek. She whispered in his ear before she turned around, "I'll give you the chance for a rematch tomorrow, old man." She smiled and winked at him as he returned the gestures. Then she turned around and followed her mother out the door, down the many halls, and into the wardrobe closet and onto a stand in the middle of the room. Three women held out three different colored robes and without even thinking too much about it, Kevlyn pointed towards a dark blue robe with silver trim and bluish silver stitched waves with little light blue jewels that were to serve as the spray. She'd never seen the ocean in real life. Of course she had read about it in books, but it was her grandfather who talked about it so often. He'd lived in a house that overlooked the ocean when he was a child so many years ago. She was snapped out of her revelry when her mother's voice chirped again. It must have been the same question asked more than once cause there was a clear annoyance there when she asked again. "What color slippers do you want, Kevlyn?"

Kevlyn looked down and saw that she was already fully dressed. She hadn't even noticed. A silver cord was wrapped around her waist several times much like that of an 'obi' and it bowed in the back. "Silver," was all she said and the slippers were brought over to her immediately. She hated that; being served liked she was an invalid. She was more then capable of doing these things for herself, but her parents never let her. They both always said that proper families had the help, so the help stayed. This is one of the reasons why she always looked forward to going back to school when she was younger. Kevlyn stepped into the shoes and hopped off the stand. "Are we done here, mother?" She almost didn't ask knowing that her mother always said something about her weight. She was just a bit taller than the average female and always looked more like a wood plank than a girl. No curves. "Too skinny" her mother always said.

"Almost. You're hair is still a mess." Marguerite chose to fix this herself, pushed Kevlyn into a chair and gave her a quick up-do of some sort, it didn't really matter. She just wanted to be back in her regular clothes and her regular hair and out of her family's pod, back at the shelter doing something important with her time. Once she was done, Marguerite and Kevlyn met her father and the rest of the siblings at the top of the stairs. The festival was boring to say the least. Kevlyn milled about exchanging small talk like the good daughter she was supposed to be, but all the while she kept thinking about how it was for the others; the poor people. She heard them talk about it in the shelter but was informed not to let anyone know who she was or that she was from the rich part of the city. The only person who knew was the person who hired her, which happened to be a person she studied under in her boarding school. Kevlyn even had an alias: Daphne. The name came from a story she'd read about a woman, Daphne, running from a god and then turned into a tree when the other gods helped her. Most tragic. Yet it seemed the most fitting name for someone like her.

Once her rounds had been made, Kevlyn looked about the pod once more before she ducked into the family garden and out the gardener's door. She kicked off both her shoes, held the length of her robe up to her thighs and ran as fast as she could go to the door she used every day on the other side of the city. Once through, she stopped short. People were laughing and music was playing. Little kids dancing in the streets in the clothes they wore every day. She hadn't even thought of her clothes. She'd stick out, and not in a good way here. They'd know who she was, but before she had time to worry about that there was a huge tremor that shook everything and it was reverberating through her body. Trying to get the door to go back up was futile. There were no handles to grab and during emergencies everything linking the two places together was locked down to prevent rioting. Now what was she to do? She made a mad dash for the shelter and hoped everything would go back to normal soon.

It had been months since the last tremor, and several months since the meteor hit the outer wall, or so he had heard. He had only been here a few weeks, and if all went right, he was supposed to leave by the end of next. If he survived, that is. Not that he was panicking, he was raised to never show fear. A business man can't show fear. He must be clear, and concise, and in control of every action he makes. Any sign of weakness, and he will be torn apart. The words echoed in his mind as he rode out a particularly bad tremor, before spilling to the ground, rather ungracefully. There were few people under the shelter, as most made it to their pods, or pods of friends, just a few of the homeless, and some of the drunks, or men who thought it would be a rather fun game.

All of a sudden the tremors seemed to stop, so he stood up, and dusted himself off, then looked around. "Okay, that wasn't so bad." He spoke, more to himself than anyone else, and the men in there hooted and hollered about how it was 'a good one' and 'someone made the gods angry'. He shook his head, but before he could even take a step, the ground shook, violently, knocking him down again, most of the other men around him spilling to the ground. Then he heard it, it was like a bolt of lightning, a loud crack, and then screams. At first he didn't know what was happening, he couldn't see it. Bracing himself on a support beam for the pavilion, he managed to stand up, there were still tremors, but they didn't feel like before, they felt like they were coming from a much closer place.

Then he saw it, at first just barely in the distance, one of the older structures, two stories tall seemed to just... disappear, and then, the one next to it, and down the line, pods disappeared into thin air, but people screamed, and were running towards the pavilion, running from the source of this destruction. Then he saw it, it crept across town square, at first just a small crack, but before he could blink it was a gaping crack, more than ten feet wide, and spreading quickly, soon, it was twenty, thirty, and just getting wider, taking the pos, fountain, and to his horror, the people in it's path. The edge of the rift was now growing dangerously close to the pavilion, which was more towards the western edge of town, but the real horror was when it kept going, defying the high walls built by the rich, engulfing it, and spreading, as if trying to split the entire city in half.

He could hear the screams of the rich, it went right to the main banquet hall, and he was quite sure few of the rich had left when the tremors started. It seemed like ages that this went on, people screaming, some houses hanging precariously on the edge of the rift, half of the city had been engulfed by the land, and with it... half of the city's population. Though it didn't care who was rich, and who was poor, every one fell victim. But just as quickly as it all had started, it stopped. He wondered if it had gone all the way through, splitting the city into two parts, or stopped, somewhere among the rich.

This was too much, despite all his training he collapsed to his knees and actually found himself praying. As did a good portion of the men around him. He had no one to pray for, this wasn't his home, but it was tragic none the less. His heart felt heavy, and he wasn't sure where to go from here. The city erupted into chaos, guards taking place almost instantly, where the wall had cracked, making sure none of the common folk tried to slip through. Even in such times, they were convinced they were better. Mothers screamed for children that were lost, men cried out for their families, a little boy wandered by himself across the square just outside the pavilion, couldn't have been much more than six years old. Had his parents been taken by the rift? His entire family gone? His heart went out to the boy, but before he could attempt anything, people swarmed out, searching and wondering, crying and screaming. The boy was soon just part of the fray.

A deep sigh escaped the man and he stood up, trying to plan his next step. With all this chaos, there was no way he would be able to get a pod out of here... and how would he ever get back through the middle wall? Guards were everywhere, and despite belonging there, they would question why he was outside the wall... This left him here, seemingly by himself under the pavilion, watching a city be torn apart.


[[This should make it easier to sort of... get the picture, plus we can plan where to go, etc etc.]]

[[Fantastic idea with the map! Maybe you could kind of put little x's where Winchester is at this point and then maybe where the shelter is? I figured that the shelter would be on the right side of the crack facing away from the inner wall and sort of across the hole from the market. I was just curious if he was also stuck on this side. ]]

Running against the current of people, Kevlyn couldn't help feel she was like that fish called a salmon that her grandfather had told her about when she was a kid. Elbows were jabbing her and her feet were getting stepped on by the hoards of panicky citizens as she pushed her way through. By the time she made it to the shelter the tremors and stopped and the slew of people had refrained from pushing so hard and running so fast. Kevlyn stepped up to the door and it slid open to show people all huddled together in the corners, holding on to anyone who was next to them.

A loud crack shot out and for just a moment all was silent. Kevlyn stood still in the doorway, eyes wide, waiting for something to happen, and then the screams came and the shelter began to shake. The back of the building just disappeared. It was gone in a flash and all the scared people who were huddled on the floor started straight for her, when the ground gave out again. Kevlyn backpedaled out the door until she slipped and landed unceremoniously on her behind. Some people made it out of the building before it sunk into the black abyss. Mouth hanging wide, Kevlyn scrambled up and peered over the edge. Nothing. No building. No people. Gone. All of them. She snapped out of her awe when she heard another small crack and made space between herself and the chasm and ran along it looking for a way to the inner wall.

Was the crack so big that it engulfed the inner city too? What had happened to her family? What had made the Gods so mad that they would do this to the people, and on today of all days? The worst possible thoughts kept running through her mind as she whipped her head back and forth looking for a way across.

Kevlyn's heart got lighter as she saw that the inner wall was still intact, but as she got closer she slowed her gazelle's pace and came to a standstill many feet in front of the banquet hall. There were people still dangling off the precipice and in their shiny festival robes they looked like glittering gems among the sand. She fell to her knees and just stared across the void. She was at a complete loss as to what to do now.

[[Right now my computer is retarded, so... map changing is not happening right now. Winchester is in the pavilion... on the opposite side. :/ But... he is going back to the center.]]

Winchester stood in total awe, for what seemed like... hours. Days maybe. But was likely no more than a couple minutes, if that. The market was nearly dead soon, people running for the crack, trying to think of a way to get to the other side. An unhappy sigh escaped him as he watched. Mothers screamed for children, fathers for their families. It was... too much to watch. He was never one for emotions, so this was more than he wanted to handle right now. But here he was... stuck in this place. There was no way he would be able to get out anytime soon, between carting the remaining royal to safer places, half the city seemed to be gone, so it wasn't like they had all the resources.

Shaking his head he turned on his heels, heading towards the center. From this point he could already see where the wall had fallen into the void, and it seemed like nearly half of the inner city was missing. He knew his pod was still there, but the banquet hall was split in half, the festivities far behind them now. There was no way he would be able to sneak in right now, guards stood, even on the outside of the wall, stopping the men who screamed and shouted, demanding the rich do something. But what could they do? It was chaos, and no one person was unaffected. Mostly... not that Winchester was truly at a loss. He had no family, no real ties here. His heart hurt for those lost, but none of them he knew, not even among the rich, so... it was hard to be attached.

Giving up on the notion he would be able to sneak back in anytime soon, his curiosity peeked, and told him to see just how far this void went... did it completely split the city in half? No better time to find out. Cutting through the main square he walked just along the edge of the inner wall, the chaos around him just a blur. He didn't pay much attention to anything around him, instead he walked, his brain not quite processing what was going on around him. A heavy sigh escaped him as he walked, soon he was past the wall, and found himself near a bunch of the processing plants. Some were intact, but others were split in half, and it seemed like a good portion of the food supply was gone.

But then he saw the guards, there were ten of them, at least, and... well it looked like they were guarding one of the plants. He didn't want to get seen, he didn't need any trouble. But from where he stood, he did notice that the wall, just beyond the processing plants, was in tact. Did that mean that there was a way to the other side? He would have to try... but, he had to be careful of the guards.

It wasn't until her legs began to ache that Kevlyn realized she had been kneeling for quite some time. The screams had died down and the area was mostly quiet, eerily so. She figured everyone who was still able had made a run for it and got as far away from the gaping hole in the city as they could possibly get. That was probably a very smart idea, but Kevlyn decided to throw caution to the wind when she thought of her family on the other side. She hoped her grandfather was alright.

Okay, now it was time to find a way across. Was the hole so long that it split the city? Only one way to find out. After thinking rationally for a few minutes and composing a plan, that only consisted of which direction to head in really, she stood up wearily, stretched her legs a little before going down the crack to her right side. The blood came back to her legs and she picked up the pace being cautious not to get too close to the edge.

After what seemed like a very long time indeed, Kevlyn made it to the edge of the city, where all the food supplies were held in huge plants. The wall just behind them was still up, so the crack must have stopped before it hit it. There was still some hope. Several of the plants were gone and more had been ripped apart by the rift. The hole had narrowed considerably at this end of the chasm, but it would take one hell of a leap to make it across. But before she could even get close enough to do that she had to get by the guards who were stationed around the still functioning plants.

It disgusted her that even in times such as these that her brethren could still feel that they deserved more than everyone else. The less fortunate ones always looked out for each other in times of stress and the ones who had it all were not inclined to help anyone but themselves. Sighing heavily, she resigned that this was no time for an argument with herself and peered out from behind a partial wall to get a better look at the guards and the plants.

She deduced that there must be a way across if the guards had made it over to her side. There was never the need for guards there before this most recent catastrophe and it was easy to assume that they weren't there for the festival either. If she were to walk up to them and tell her she was from the other side, would they let her pass? Maybe she could try sneaking first and if she made it, great, if not, then explain what happened? But what did happen? What would she tell them in regards to her reason for being over there in the first place?

Skulking down she moved from rubble pile to rubble pile, being careful not to make a sound. Since all the people had moved away from the crevice and it was still so quiet, any noise could be heard quite easily. There were about ten or twelve guards around the plant closest to her and she could hear them talking in hushed tones. Kevlyn held her breath as she neared closer and closer to the plant, just teasing the line between the debris and the plant. She hunkered down, gathering courage before her next move when her head jerked back roughly.

Kevlyn let out a small yelp as she was grabbed by the hair. Out of the corner of her eye she could see it was a guard and he was smiling most triumphantly as he held firm. She reached for her head to help relieve some of the tension from him pulling so hard and tried to wiggle free to no avail.

Winchester was so lost in thought, trying to figure out a way to get over to the other side. He needed to get back into the center, so he could talk to someone about getting out of here. Too many times had he seen cities destroyed, this was the last time he wanted to deal with this, he wasn't attached to any one place, so it was hard for him to show any amount of sympathy. A heavy sigh escaped the man as he relaxed and tried to clear his head. Could he just go ask the guards to let him back in? He could say that he almost fell in the rift, right? Yeah, he almost fell in, but he managed to cling to the edge, and ended up out here. Or perhaps he was leaning against the wall when it started to crumble, and he ended up on this side, but was so disoriented that by the time he realized where he was, there were guards there already.

He was still dressed like he belonged on that side, the important people over there knew him. What did his story matter? With some strange sense of confidence, he came from his hiding and made a run for the back of the wall. It seemed most of the guards were preoccupied with either getting food, or the girl they had captured. She looked familiar, and she wasn't dressed like one of the poor. Did she get stuck out here too? What would they do to her? Despite everything that told him to just focus on himself, he couldn't. As he snuck around, clinging close to the wall, looking across the rift as he passed it.

As soon as he was on the other side he ran towards the guards, and the girl. "Hey! Guards! I need assistance." He called out for them, so they would turn their attention to him, if they let her go, she could run. if they didn't, it would take more convincing. A sigh escaped him, why was he being so cocky? How did he even know this was going to work? He didn't. Honestly. And judging by the looks that he was getting from the guards, they were not all that happy to see him. "I need help getting back through the inner wall." He stopped, gasping lightly for air, but it only took but a moment for him to gain all his composure back. His back straightened, and he took on the attitude it took for business. "I seem to be stuck out here, and your 'friends' wont let me back in." More of the guards surrounded him, and something made him think that they didn't want to help him. "I assure you, I'm a very important business man, everyone in there knows me." At the very least, this was true. They did know him, and trusted him, at least on the inside. "Her too, you know. Me and her were talking by the wall, and... somehow we ended up out here. You must help us back inside."

Still wiggling, Kevlyn tried to speak up but was still in shock from the sudden surprise of getting caught by the guard. Her mouth just opened and closed a few times with no sound coming out. The guard was missing a tooth and his jowls shook as he laughed. "Well, well, well. It seems I've caught myself a pretty looking thing," and he laughed again looking at the others for approval. Kevlyn finally snapped out of her stupor and glared at Toothless in disgust. "You will let me go right now or you will not live to regret it." He stared at her for a second or two and proceeded to laugh some more. "Not just pretty, but feisty too!" Laughing again Toothless leaned in close to her face and said in a soft voice, "and what are you going to about it?" and licked her face from chin to temple.

Before Kevlyn could retort, she heard the other guards yelling to Toothless and the others. She followed their gazes to a rather tall and shaggy looking fellow jogging towards them. He didn't seem to belong to the poor side of the wall and she could tell that even if he wasn't wearing the colorful robe. It was the way he walked mostly; very sure of himself, the kind of swagger one gets from getting what he wants.

He slowed his pace down to a walk and continued to talk to the guards about helping him back across. He surveyed his surroundings and did not make eye contact with her at all, so it surprised her when he said he knew who she was and that they had been talking before. She was pretty sure she'd remember if she had met someone like him and looked at him with a slightly confused expression on her face. Why would he lie for her?

Toothless relaxed his grip on her hair and sneered, the gaping hole where his tooth used to be showing more prominently now. She sneered back, "I told you to let me GO!" She wiggled some more and the guard flung her away and she fell hard on her side. It seems he believed what the shaggy man had said but he didn't like it. Kevlyn thought about running, but with the appearance of the shaggy man more guards had arrived and surrounded them. She looked around, her brain racing and finally decided that the best plan of action would be to play to what the shaggy newcomer had said. No sense in getting them both in more trouble.

Kevlyn got up and dusted herself off, stood up straight and walked over to the shaggy fella. Crossing her arms she looked expectantly at the guards, "so are you going to let us across or not?"

For the longest of time it didn't seem like the guards were going to believe him. It's not like they knew who he was, but... well, they might just be in trouble for roughing him up, if a few choice people inside knew this was going on. Too bad those people were preoccupied with their own troubles. He was on his own. Just as it seemed like he was now going to suffer the same fate as this girl, the guards let her go. For the first time he looked at the girl, as she moved to his side. It was clear she was from the inner circle, her robes were nicer, and she was well kept.

As much as Winchester wanted to stay, and find out what they planned on doing with the food, and why they needed so many guards when he had yet to see one person (well, other than him and the girl) even near this place, he knew they needed to get out of there. But this wouldn't be the last of it, he was going to figure it out. Though he wasn't sure why he cared. This wasn't his home. A pod would come for him from another city by weeks end, so what did it matter? He would have enough food, and a shelter until that time. Yet always he felt a strange connection to the poor. Perhaps that is where he came from? He couldn't know for sure, he had asked so many times, but his mentor never knew. Now the man was dead, and his past seemed all but lost.

Snapping back to reality, he glanced to the girl once more. He had been talking to her? Ha. He couldn't talk to a woman if his life depended on it, but thankfully, these guards didn't know that. Taking a deep breath and straightening his back, he began to speak, no facing the guards, "Yes, we need to get back inside before any terrible riots start. I'd hate for you to lose your jobs because something happened to me." A few of the guards looked nervous, as if he could really be that important? These guards spent most of their time on the outside, but was he the businessman that they had heard about? This traveler that was to be protected at all costs? They couldn't be sure, but a few of them didn't want to risk it.

"Fine, fine. She ain't much of anything, anyways." The one guard scoffed and pointed towards the back wall, where they could get around the rift. "Take them around, make sure they get into the city, safely." His eyes narrowed as he glared at the two strangers. With a silent nod, everyone else moved on, going back to their posts, but one guard, who was to escort them. "Come. We don't have all day." Winchester followed, a rather smug look on his face.

A weight seemed to dissolve off Kevlyn's shoulders when the guards decided that they believed the shaggy man's story. Both followed after the guard and from the corner of her eye she sized up her new partner in crime. He was a handful of inches taller than her, striking green eyes and his scruffy hair made him look younger than his face suggested. Not that he looked old, just that he had seen a lot and experienced a lot more than her. That thought made her have a twinge of jealousy which she promptly tired to snuff out. She wondered what his real name was since she just now decided he was worth the courtesy of a name better than 'shaggy man'.

Quickly she turned her eyes forward for fear that he saw her looking at him. She didn't want to offend her savior, but she also didn't know if she should say anything right now even though a million thoughts were racing through her head. What if the guard heard her? Maybe she'd just wait until they were safely across the chasm. Kevlyn clasped her hands in front of her and waited with a patience she had to work very hard at.

After a few moments in silence she couldn't contain it anymore and slowed her pace to get some distance between them and the guard. She bumped her shoulder against the shaggy man's arm to get his attention, as he looked like he was off in his own head somewhere. She raised her eyebrows and nodded a little so he would get the hint. When their rhythm was the same, she took a side step closer to him so they were just barely touching. Kevlyn looked up at him from the corner of her eye, "Thank you," she said. Her mouth almost unmoving. "I didn't know what I was going to do back there."

[[I just realized our people are like GIANTS! How did that happen?]]

Winchester was following, while trying to make sure nothing else was going to happen. For all he knew, the guards could have been waiting to take them down, and not let them back in. He was not as confident as he looked, but still, he kept his composure. He was so busy thinking to himself, that he almost didn't notice the girl slowing down, until she bumped him. A little confused, he took the hint and slowed to the same speed as her, walking aside her. When her arm brushed against his, even through the robes, he got chills. Seriously, he was not good with ladies.

An awkward smile crossed his face and he half-shrugged. "Uhmm... It was you know... no big deal." He stuttered and mumbled, unsure of what else to really say. "I'm Winchester... I'm j-just here on business." This was right, right? Yeah, of course it was. He was supposed to introduce himself. It was polite. The irony was that he was able to be cool and composed and conduct a business deal without a single stumble, yet a woman turned him into an incoherent baboon.

While waiting for her answer he looked ahead, the guard was still walking along, and they were nearing a spot in the wall they would be able to get through. Not that he was sure what he would do when he got inside, as he was pretty sure the pod he was staying in was gone. It was just along the wall, on the side that was sucked into the rift. Plus, it was likely to be chaos in there. He needed to get out of here. Now.

[[yea we made them all evolved and stealthy and super fast and tall :D maybe we could meet some regular sized people if they have to go on the outside lol]]

Kevlyn gave him a small half smile. It was weird, but she got the sense that Winchester was a tad nervous with their small chatter. A bit contradictory since he seemed so confident speaking with the guards. Regardless, she stepped away from him to give him some space before she responded. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Winchester-just-here-on-business, my name is Daph-...uh, Kevlyn and I happen to call this place home." She didn't know why she gave him her real name. She always used her alias outside the walls, but maybe it didn't really matter anymore being as there was no longer a wall, well, not really. Kevlyn eyed the crumbling barrier some more and thinking of all the people who fell down the rift she shuddered, hoping it wasn't her family. She made an inner promise to get to know her adopted siblings should everyone be alright. It was never really them she was annoyed with, it was her parents. Always trying to show off when all she wanted was someone to love her no matter what. At least she had her grandfather for that.

Shaking her head, Kevlyn got her thoughts back to the more immediate situation. As they neared the gap in the wall she got more nervous about the outcome, her clasped hands squeezing tighter with every step. She began to make some more small talk making sure to keep a decent space between them. "So, is there anyone waiting for you on the other side?"

"Like I said, I'm just here on business." Winchester shook his head and kept his gaze focused ahead of them. This guard seemed to be taking his time, but he wasn't stopping, and they were almost to the wall? Did they actually trust him? He tried not to think about it, and just trust that everything would be okay. By now the guard was standing at one of the passes through the wall, this one was opened, and there was already a guard here, and Winchester assumed at least one or two more on the otherside, just in case. No way they would let someone from the outer ring in, not after something like this. It made him feel sick, most days. To think that these people felt themselves so much better that they were hording the food during a disaster, and still only thinking about themselves. Though it wasn't a surprise.

Sighing, he looked over at Kevlyn, "You have a family in there?" As soon as he asked it, he wished he hadn't. What if her family had been sucked into the rift? What if they were dead and she was alone? Now he felt terrible that he could have been bring all that up. He really needed to get out of here, before he did anything else stupid. Before she could really answer the guard was glaring them down, waiting for them to step into the inner ring, and get out of his way. Winchester mouthed a 'thanks' and stepped through, into just as much chaos as on the outside. Servants and another guards were running around, and the rich were concerned about their festival being interrupted.

As they both stepped through, Kevlyn just stared at... well, everything. Everyone was running amok and it seemed like they were just bumbling over each other. Every ounce of upper class manners seemed to be tossed out the window. A very different reaction from the lower class side. For lack of anything else to say at the moment, she spoke up. "Well, you know, sometimes people know other people is all I meant," she said, hoping her question didn't make him think she was too much of an idiot. "And yes, I do have family over here... somewhere."

Kevlyn almost didn't recognize where she was. Dilapidated buildings and festival decorations scattered all over the ground. Robes and festival garb covered in dust and grime. She nudged one of the fallen streamers with her bare foot, unwilling to gaze over the carnage again. Looking up at Winchester she said, "So, now that we are here I guess I'll go see if I can find my family. But I owe you for helping me and I don't like owing debts. Maybe I can help you. What's your plan?" She had to be strong now and do what was right. Of course Kevlyn was worried for her family, especially her grandfather, but without Winchester's help she wouldn't have made it through to her family in the first place. She waited for a reply with a resolute and dry eye.

A heavy sigh escaped the man as he looked over the chaos that was inside. It was different, considering they were always so prim and proper, and felt like they were better. Yet he knew that they were more concerned about their wealth than some of their own families, and it sickened him. But who was he to judge? He helped create the wealth, he helped create all this excess. Looking over at Kevlyn he shook his head, "I don't know, I don't exactly belong here. I should get out of this city, it's all chaos now." As he spoke, he shrugged. He wasn't even sure he was going to be able to get out of here, considering the state everyone else was in. Perhaps he could contact someone from the other cities to send for him?

"You don't owe me anything, I didn't do all that much. " He gave an awkward smile, looking to the ground.

"Sure you did, I mean, I don't know what that slimy guard was going to do to me. It seems you arrived in the nick of time." Kevlyn smiled at Winchester to make sure he knew she was serious and grateful. "My family has some extra pods at home since they travel a lot. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if you took one to get where you needed to go, assuming I still have a home to go back to. So you cannot say no, I won't let you." And with that she took him by the hand and led him in the direction of her home, hoping all the while that it was still there with her family waiting for her.

A blush came to his pale face as she continued to thank him for what he did. He didn't have the guts to say that he almost didn't even bother, and that he seriously considered leaving and just letting whatever happened happen. Winchester was about to break off from her, to go search and find something or some way for him to get out of this place, before the chaos grew. This wasn't really his problem. Yet she started talking again, and Winchester was not rude enough to just walk away while she was. He felt awkward as she talked, not sure what to say. What if her family wasn't there? He wouldn't be much use in comfort, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. "I-I... I sh-" His words were cut off when she grabbed his hand, just as he was about to protest her proposal. He glanced awkwardly at her hand clasped around his, this was not something he was used to. Hell, he could barely talk to a female, let alone come into contact with them. Reluctantly he followed her, blushing and trying to think of a way to get out of this.

Not really sure where she got the courage to drag along someone she just met, Kevlyn continued to lead Winchester towards her residence. The urge to help him was very strong and she didn't know why. Maybe she was just really grateful or maybe she was just so used to helping people it was a reaction or maybe it was even something else entirely. Refusing to think anything more of it she continued to walk with purpose, holding his hand and dodging the bustling crowd all the while.

After a minute or two of silence between Kevlyn and Winchester, she realized that she was being rude by not talking at all. She turned around to see that he was looking at her hand which was holding his. He looked like he was rather uncomfortable with the whole situation. Letting go of his hand she said, "I'm sorry." Wiping her hands on her now dirtied robes she looked away sheepishly and said, "Sometimes I get a bit carried away and I didn't think about how some people might not like to be touched by a stranger, but please, walk with me." Facing forward again she walked ahead hoping that he was still following. "Were almost there now and this part of the city doesn't look like it's had as much damage as the other areas."

Even as she dragged him, he found himself glancing at her hand, clasped around his. It was strange and unusual, the closet to this he ever dealt with was a handshake, but that was business. His whole life was business. He didn't realize how much he was staring until she had stopped and looked at him, and then he felt the warmth of her hand leave. Dumbfounded he stood there for a moment, not sure what to say, instead he just looked at her, her words not really processing in his head. This was a lot, too much for him to deal with. He had a very straight forward mind, and things were always orderly and put together, so chaos did not sit well. Great, here comes a headache.

Instead of replying, he just followed her and looked at the area around him. It didn't look so bad, most buildings had minimal damage, so perhaps her family would be okay, and they could help him get out of here, and to some place... well, somewhere not in shambles.

Worried she had been speaking too much, Kevlyn didn't say anything else until they arrived to her family's pod. The quake must have shorted out everything because the door was wide open when it should have been closed. Stopping just before the bottom steps she heard some crashing about noises inside and a wave of fear crashed over her as she ran inside.

Knick knacks and all the bric-a-brac her family had collected over the years was strewn about the room and nothing was in it's proper place. If she had to guess, she'd say that the whole place had been looted. Then a crashing sound came out of the kitchen area and Kevlyn marched towards the noise all the fear turned to rage. Bursting through the door she saw a man, clearly well off, who she didn't recognize grabbing all the items he could carry that might fetch a price in the market. Well, not that there was a market anymore, but it seemed that in chaos people's true colors came out and the rich still only wanted more of what others have. Greedy, so very greedy.

"Get out of my pod!" Kevlyn yelled. The man looked up, eyes wide, and ran for the door after dropping most of the items in his arms. There was no point in worrying about all the useless items, as she crouched down and fingered some silver eating utensils. Standing up, Kevlyn rubbed her face in disgust. She shook her head and then turned around quickly realizing that she totally forgot about Winchester.

Winchester continued the walk in silence as well, not sure what to say. If it wasn't business he was just awkward. Sighing he looked at her pod as they approached, it looked structurally sound, but everything was a mess, like someone had been in here, destroying the place. Because of this he stood back, not one that would be able to comfort the girl if she was upset. He personally had very few material items, since he traveled so much, and despite all his money, and his wealth that he had gained, it never seemed he did much with it, a shame really.

He heard her scream at someone, and he hurried towards her, and where he heard the sounds from. The man bumped in to him as he was running out, but Winchester didn't have the time to stop him, not that he would have been helpfully, he wasn't exactly the strongest person. Before he could move, Kevlyn appeared in front of him, "Uhm... sorry, he got away." This was awkward, should he have chased the man? Did she care about the items he had tried to steal? Sighing he shrugged and looked at the ground.

Kevlyn sighed deeply and pushed her fingers into her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on. "No, no, it's fine. It's not like any of that matters right now anyways." Running her hands over her face she realized she could really use a soak in the tubs but there was no time for that. She looked up at Winchester and he was looking down at the floor. It was then she thought that he hadn't made eye contact with her since she let go of his hand. He really was an interesting man. It was like she made him uncomfortable but she didn't really know why. As much as Kevlyn wanted to figure out the puzzle that was her new comrade, she didn't have the means, for she had never really gotten the practice. The only male she ever spent a substantial amount of time with was her grandfather. She hoped he was ok.

Shaking her head a little the clear her thoughts, Kevlyn finally said, "Well, let's go. This way." Turning around on her heels she walked down the long hallway towards the rear of the pod where all the transportation pods where kept. Once Winchester was gone she'd go looking for her family. First things, first and she always repaid her debts.

Despite his awkwardness, and the fact that he had a difficult time talking to females, let alone begin around them and any sort of contact, he felt as if he couldn't just leave with her here. This place was a disaster and more tremors were sure to come through, what if the buildings collapsed on her? He saved her already, what use would it be if she got herself killed just after he left? yet, why should he even care what happened to her, his mission was to get out and find somewhere safe, with all his money saved it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to be comfortable no matter where he was. Taking a deep breath he managed to look up at her, she had her back to him and was headed down the hallway, leading him to the pods. She had enough trouble with the guards, what if it got worse when she was looking for her family?

Yet how much help was he? Though he felt he needed to help, something in his mind screamed at him. "Would you like me to assist in finding your family?" He finally managed to blurt out after a long argument in his mind. He still wasn't even sure it was a good idea to ask, maybe she didn't even want or need his help, and what could he do? he powers he had pertained to wealth and the likes, not finding lost family members or keeping people from danger.